Fast Pitch
by telesoap
Summary: A world that is dying isn't a world that I would like to live on. Maybe to end the world and its misery would be best... ( an entry to Mikaela Vermillion Hyakuya's contest. )
1. 1

_Earth was where humans lived, grew, and thrived. We have evolved in ways unthought of, and gained abilities no one had even thought of. It was quite a confusing thing really. We learned to read and write, to hunt and eat; human nature was either bring out or suppressed along with it. We learn, we have, unlike few other organisms, from people who teach us things; like a protégé or a teacher. Humanity was, so far, at its peak. It wouldn't take long before we all destroyed something, so why not ourselves?_

[MORNING]

A dull thud echoed in Ike's ears as he awoke from his troubled sleep, his feet and hands felt like white noise as he moved them slowly. Glancing at his alarm clock, it had been 7 o' clock when he woke up, and he only had a minute before he had to wake up. Frowning and letting out a frustrated groan, Ike unplugged his alarm clock, his face already in its normal scowl. Well, it _was_ the weekend, he might as well go outside and do something worthwhile, whyever he kept his alarm clock on for the weekend was beyond him, but he didn't mind it either way. Ike grabbed his phone and checked his messages, only a few coming from Roy about school work and some reminders from Mist. Ike sat up and tossed it onto his pillow, his head feeling like it contained the cosmos as soon as he tossed his feet over the edge. Grunting, Ike let his feet drop onto the cold wooden floor and stay there while he regained his wits. His phone buzzed on his pillow as he stood up, but he ignored it as he made his way to the bathroom across the hall. A good guess would be that Roy wanted to ask him to come to the park, pitch until sundown, and walk back home. He guessed that the redhead still wasn't comfortable barging into Ike's home. Ike entered the bathroom across the hall with little to no surprise, only stumbling once or twice the entire trip. Ike gazed at himself in the mirror, combing his hands through his hair and turning on the tap to the sink; he had to at least brush his teeth and put on deodorant before he went anywhere. Ike finished his bathroom to - do list with little to no worries and traveled back to his room, smelling Mist toiling downstairs with breakfast and possibly lunch. Ike tossed on a simple tee shirt and pants duo and checked his phone, Roy wanting to meet up with him at the park and practice a little for the game on Monday. Ike sighed,"I wish that he would discuss this on Friday or something." Ike said, slipping on his Converses and walking from his room, making sure to lock the door before he left. You never knew what Mist could do to something as precious as your room. "Hey, Mist!" Ike called, waiting for an answer and getting one in the form of pots and pans rattling wildly," I'm heading out, make sure not to set the house on fire while I'm gone." He said, rushing down the stairs, grabbing his bag of gear, and running out the door before Mist could question him.

Ike rushed down the street with a large bag filled with baseballs and his catchers gear, the weight of it all weighing him down as he rushed to the park. Knowing Roy, he wasn't simply punctual, he was there 15 minutes or maybe an hour before, so yes, of course he would be there already. Ike turned as soon as he saw the Altea - Ylisse St. sign, his eyebrows furrowed as he crashed into the park gates, stopping a foot infront of Roy. Ike was a panting mess from the 3 minute run, but he was carrying something so heavy. Roy laughed openly at Ike, his eyes squinted at the male panting heavily infront of him, he mitt on his hand catching Ike's attention,"You ready already, huh?" Ike wheezed out, a small, slightly gritty smile. Roy stiffened and nodded,"Yeah, but Marth borrowed my baseball, so I need one of yours." Roy said, opening his hand and reaching out for the bag Ike had. Ike stood straight just as two children passed infront of him and Roy, smiling and laughing as if Ike and Roy weren't there. Ike grabbed a ball and passed it to Roy, the redhead thanking him with a smile and heading off towards the baseball diamond at the back of the park. As they walked, Ike felt the slight draft of freezing air come from the east, making him wince and shiver, how odd. Roy glanced back at Ike, stopping at the part he was supposed to,"You know where to go, Ike?" He said, the sentence ending with a sort of questioning tone instead of his normally playful manner. Ike nodded and moved to the catchers spot right behind home base, a small frown on his face as he put on his gear.

After he finished that, Ike told Roy his signs and signalled for a fastball to the center, and Roy delivered, a nearly perfect pitch,"That was a little high." He said, tossing the ball back to the redhead, a slight draft of cold wind returning to chill Ike to the bone once again. Roy caught it and nodded,"The same pitch?" He asked, squinting as if to see Ike through the mask he had on. Ike nodded and put up his glove, Roy throwing a fastball and having it hit lower, not much, but just enough,"Perfect, Roy. I wonder if you can keep it that way." Ike taunted, a small smirk on his face as he lifted his mask and tossed back the ball. Roy frowned slightly before firing his reply," _Maybe_ I will Ike, just maybe." He said, a small smile on his face as Ike's smirk wavered a bit.

Then, a rumbling like they never felt before, a few of the stands creaking and crashing down in a matter of seconds. Ike felt his heart leap to his chest, Roy immediately crouching down and moving beside him,"We need to go." He whispered as if he had no other tone in his voice. Ike nodded and stood, moving himself to stand, helping Roy up as well as they stood on jello legs. Ike felt the coldness of Roy's hand on his skin, the rough patches of skin rubbing against Ike's arm, it was like cement,"We run." Was all Roy said before they bolted, his eyes furrowed to why Roy was so calm in such a situation. Ike eard the children running out of the park, the slide and swings already fallen as they ran on shaky ground. Ike felt his knees go weak for a moment, his knees threatening to collapse if Roy hadn't kept running. Once they made their way from the park, Ike regained his senses,"Okay, here's the plan," he heard Roy start, taking Ike's attention,"we head on to Hyrule Avenue, go to Ylisse - Altea Street to grab Marth and the others, then we meet up somewhere, okay?" He said, glancing at Ike for a quick moment before he saw a few cars crash, people being flung out the front window without any warning, just the sick crack of the impact of their head on the street. Ike glanced away as they headed to Hyrule Ave.

Once they got to Hyrule Ave., Ike felt his lungs give a wheeze, his heart beating in his ears as a small ringing echoed through his head. Roy gazed around at the peace around them, a street vendor simply gazing at them curiously. Toon Link, who they had met many times, walked up to them with an apple, holding it out. Roy refused, as did Ike. Toon shrugged and ate it as Ike slowly opened his mouth, the cool air burning his throat,"Hey, Toon. Do you think you can get Link to come?" He asked, his voice coming out strained and cracked as the young Hyrulian stared at him questioningly. He slowly nodded, taking another bite of the apple before he rushed off down the dirt road. Roy fiddled with his dirt and soot covered shirt, his eyes downcast as something plagued his mind,"I'll go." He muttered, Ike raising his eyebrows at the word choice,"Go where?" He asked, a small frown on his face as he leaned in closer to Roy's level,"I want to go to Altea - Ylisse Street, but I don't want to leave you here to wait for me." He mumbled, still in deep thought about it. Ike frowned,"You said it yourself; we'll meet up somewhere. I would say we should head towards the town square." He said, lightly nudging Roy's shoulder. Roy nodded a quiet nod,"Okay, make sure to take whoever you can. Speaking of that: should I grab our parents as well?" He asked, Ike's mind flashing to Mist before he answered. His father was probably looking for him right now, but they were probably escaping the area they were in. Ike shook his head,"No, they can handle themselves." He said, Roy reluctantly nodding before he turned around towards the outside of the portal, a distant thudding in his ears.

With that small amount of hope, Roy rushed off before his thoughts betrayed him.

* * *

I got it rewritten, but I'm not sure if I can do that for all of the other chapters; too much work. Heck, I'm not even sure if I'm using punctuation correctly in this fic, but it'll have to do. I mean... the deadline _is_ tomorrow. Oh well, I can somewhat attempt it.


	2. 2

[NOON]

Roy didn't allow a single thought to interrupt him, his mind being filled with the simple command to run. Yes, it wandered sometimes, but he had a main focus right now, and he would rather do that than anything else he'd done. The dust from the destroyed cobblestone streets didn't like him much, often whipping into his eyes and seeping into his mouth, but the true challenge was navigating the destroyed streets and sidewalk. Overturned cars littered the streets along with dead bodes and other things, like a few large chunks of buildings, obstucted his view and made him turn around and take another path. The streets were littered with much more than that though, Roy saw women and men crying over their children's mauled bodies and vice versa. He didn't want to be here now, he didn't want to see _this_ , but he had to.  
After wandering around and having short moments of runners high, Roy made it to Altea - Ylisse street, chaos already deciding to take rule againt the people who simply lived there. There were fires, people jumping from buildings in attempts to save themselves, debris crushing those trying to escape; the entire world was out for them. Roy slowly walked down the street, a grimace on his face as a man shot himself in the head, his daughter right infront of him in a pool of her own blood. Roy glanced around the street, people glancing back with anguish on their faces. Roy felt a cool shiver slowly make its way down his spine as his gut clenched, his eyes wild as he attempted to make sense of where to go. Without thinking, Roy bolted for the small section of homes lining the street, the shops at the street entrance long behind him as he got to the Altea part of the street. The older buildings had chipped paint and a slightly different design; it was nice here. A blonde along with a group of other people caught Roy's attention as they slowly brung a beaten puppy to a small cage, blankets covering the thing as if it were a child,"You'll be okay now, _trust me._ " He heard a faceless lady coo, placing it into the cage with a small smile. Roy nodded lightly to himself, the Pound Crew seeming to work away without any form of regret. Roy slowly inched his way down the path, the buildings here were a nice, cream color compared to the soft green and a few shades of burgandy at the Ylisse part of the street. Peach, a worker with a motive and drive like no other, turned to Roy, her eyes having a flash of anger before she smiled brightly,"Roy! Now you know that we all worried about you, how's it going?" She asked, Olimar busy toiling away at the rubble as Roy snuck glances at the rest of the group,"I'm quite fine, ma'am. Thank you for asking." He murmured, his gaze once again resting on Peach. The blonde nodded,"Mm. That's good, but why aren't you gone? They signaled the escape bell almost an _hour_ ago." She said, frowning over at the redhead with ill hidden worry. Roy stiffened greatly, Olimar nodding to him to confirm that it had indeed gone off,"I was focused on finding someone when it went off," he started, his gaze wavering before he continued," and I guess that finding him was so much on my mind that I didn't even hear it." He finished, rubbing the inside of his elbows before he gazed fully on the group once again. Peach lightly frowned before she nodded, letting out a sigh before her face was one of disgust,"You should hurry up then before you get suffocated by Wario." She said, her look of disgust turning into an encouraging smile. Roy nodded and started to run back down the street, the skies seeming to change color before anyone can say or do anything.

Once he reached a small neighborhood clearing, a fountain slowly puring water in a lopsided fashion. Roy guessed that the pipes had been damaged to some extent. Roy peeked into a few of the alleyways and rubble, the homes and broken windows, but he found nothing of Marth nor anyone else. Roy allowed a hand to comb through his blood orange hair, his gaze pained as picked up a random pipe. Now that it was the apocalypse, he might as well use the thing. Roy glanced at the house belonging to Ike, something in the alleyway beside it shuffling and groaning under the rubble. Roy's ears wiggled at the sound, the feeling quite ticklish, as he rushed towards the moving rubble; instantly digging in it until he found who he remembered to be Captain Falcon. The Captain wiggled and wormed in Roy's grip, making the redhead furrow his eyes," _You're cold._ " He whispered to himself, the heat gone and the paleness of his originally tan complexion concerned Roy. _He wasn't breating, he had no pulse_. Roy slowly stood, dropping the Captain with a thud and rushing over to get his pipe, snatching it up from its position lying on the ground. The late Captain Falcon stood, his limbs swinging around before he charged full force at Roy, his jaw unhinged and flailing wildly. The redhead moved out of the way in an insant, his breathing heavy as a sudden calm embraced him, his heart slowing down as Captain Falcon charged after him again. This time, Roy reared back his pipe and shot it down onto the Captain's head, blood staining the edges of his shirt and his arms. Letting out a wimper, Roy backed away from the bits of brain and skull that lay on the streets, Captain Falcon having what could be titled a seizure before he stopped moving, blood pooling around the body. Silently sending up a prayer that the adults and Pound Crew were okay, Roy slowly made his way back, his feet dragging as he slowly got over the shock of it all. Was this not only an apocalypse, but was it a zombie apocalypse?

Ike groaned in anger as he gathered up a pile of dirt to make a small castle with Toon Link. After many tries, the entire thing collapsed after a few horses decided to trudge with the strength of a thousand men,"So, um, Toon. Is it nice here?" Ike asked, a small mile on his face as Toon Link simply stared at him, blinking a few times before returning to his half of the castle which was, in Ike's opinion, much more refined than his,"Good, good. So, doesn't it get pretty hot?" He asked, making a short gesture to the sky. Toon Link continued to work on his half of the castle, seeming to ignore Ike as he placed a nice green flag on one of the towers. Ike scowled lightly before he heard a light chuckle," Ah, Ike. I see you're getting comfortable there speaking to yourself, huh?" He heard Link say, the bag of weapons he had making a deep sound as the green clad hero shuffled his weight. Ike, now embarrassed, stood up slowly,"I guess you won't let me live this down, Link?" He asked, making sure not to knock over the castle like the other 3 horses. Link nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly that no, he would never let him live this down. Ike mumbled something incoherent before Link turned, his eyebrows furrowed. Ike looked in the direction the Hylian was so intent on staring at, and looking back, Ike saw Toon Link cover his castle with his hands as if horses were coming. What he was met with, however, made him want to grimace. Princess Zelda rushed down the dirt road with accurate steps, people moving out of the way as she passed them by without any other thought to it. Link bowed last, Toon Link breathing out a sigh of relief that his castle was safe and sound. Zelda motioned for Link and the others to stand, all of them minding their own business in an instant. Ike took notice to the tome and spear in her hand, and so he opened his mouth to question it before Zelda spoke,"May I go with you?" She asked, her breathing slightly heavy before she composed herself, her expression becoming stiff as Link thought hard about it. The Hylian nodded, letting out a small breath that he had obviously been holding as he made his way towards the exit of the avenue. Ike and Zelda followed, Ike allowing Zelda to get ahead of himself before he groaned. Well, he could've gone ahead, but being nice was all he could do. He could, in fact, die at any moment.

While the group walked their way down the rubble path that had led them to Hyrule Avenue, Ike looked up at the bare trees, another cold draft of wind brushing against him. Shivering lightly, Ike huffed and looked over to the tree beside him, a pale hand catching his attention,"Hey, guys." Ike said, Zelda and Link turning aroud and walking towards him. Ike backed up and pointed to the tree, his eyes pounding as he spoke," Isn't that Lucina?" He said, his voice slow and steady as he attempted to calm his mind. Zelda let out a choked noise before regaining her composure, Lucina's mangled body speared through the tree with an empty mouth holding her up. Link stared at it for a whil before covering his mouth, obviously trying to hold back whatever had been eaten that day. Zelda allowed her eyes to show fear as she spoke, Link and Ike gazing at her as she slowly opened her mouth," _How dare they do this to someone who has done nothing wrong._ " She whispered, the tone of her strangled voice making Ike and Link's throats go deathly dry. As they stared, Ike thought, and only one thing entered his mind:

 _Had Roy already suffered the same fate?_

* * *

If you look closely, you can see a chapter that I actually worked hard on. The original one bothered me to no end, so I came up with this one to help me not want to cry. The other 5 or 6 chapters that I didn't redo probably won't get redone, but I can try.

remember children, nothing belongs to me exept OOC Ike's personality.


	3. 3

[NOON]

More running. Roy could now taste the physical exertion on his body, and his stomach wouldn't dare to hold back this morning's breakfast for long. His head spun every ten minutes, and his eyes almost decided to roll to the back of his head every once in a while. His run was cut short when an odd buzzing was in his pocket, and he nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard it. After deciding it was his phone, his mental ability somewhat hindered by the panic he was in, he grabbed it and held it in his hand, his heard hammering in his chest. Well, at least someone he knew was okay. Either that or Link was texting to tell him that he was fighting and Ike had died and Link was calling as a distress line– stop. He had more sense than that, and he knew it. Unlocking his phone, Roy gazed at the new text with a churning feeling in his gut,

[ _Roy, we found Lucina dead near Hyrule Ave. Come check it out._ ]

Roy read the text over and over again, his emotions slowly fading until all he could do was stare at his phone. He felt like this had all been for nothing, his search was meaningless. Plus, Peach and the others probably met up with a few zombies by now, so he had probably killed them, too. He had never thought that his judgement would be the downfall of an ally, it had always been a foe.

The gears of his mind started turning again, but then was the moment he realized that where he was heading probably didn't hold Marth nor Robin. The two were protective of Lucina, so where were _they?_ Turning in a drunken manner, Roy sulked quietly, even brooding at some point. He felt like he was betrayed by his own knowledge, a hypothesis that had no backup was just irrational garbage, no matter how smart it sounded. This was his first choice, the beginning of a line of thought, and he screwed it up. _Badly_. If he were to die, he could imagine being greeted in hell by all of his sinful subordinates and enemies.

One of the things that the redhead learned to absolutely hate wasn't even human. It acted like it was, and it was even a part of him, but he hurt people with it; his knowledge. Knowledge and faith was what ran the world, it was just that common, but Roy was more of a knowledge person, but he feared the Almighty just the same as anyone else. Trudging back up the hill, hesitating because of the still bustling Pound Crew, he continued to think. He hasn't found Marth nor Robin, _and_ he was wrong about Peach and the others being dead, he was wrong about _everything_.

He guessed that Peach noticed him groaning, because she came over with her arms crossed and her eyebrows raised; she had questions, and Roy knew it.

" Mm, Roy, you okay? Are you worried about your father, Eliwood, Roy? " Peach asked, looking at Roy with a deep frown. It reminded him of Ike and the few times the catcher was worried.

" No, my father is probably doing fine, he's a skilled fighter. "

" Is that so? Well, that doesn't mean that you don't need some sort of supervision! Look at your sleeves– what happened there? "

" Zombies. "

" Roy, are you sure you're okay? "

Roy noticed her eyebrows getting lower. She was lost in this conversation, she was confused. Roy felt his already dropping self esteem fall even more, he wasn't one to let something get him down. Yet, he felt as if he had been waiting for some sort of good news. Maybe his father was dead now, too.

" Yeah, I'm almost positive, Peach. "

" Then I'll come with you. You seem as if you're lying. "

Roy inwardly screamed. He was probably going to let her die, too. He was going to tell her to do something, only to watch as she died from his mistake, his command. More weight on his shoulders that added on to the gut wrenching feeling that remained in his stomach. Roy now thought to despise all that dared to follow his lead, but it was inevitable. He couldn't play toy soldier forever.

He nodded, his thoughts being shoved to the back of his mind for later. He didn't want to bother her with all he had seen, but sometimes he needed to share a burden, modesty be damned.

Peach told the crew of volunteer workers that she was heading off with Roy, and they didn't even bat an eyelash. They probably minded, but they probably could do fine without. Sighing he turned towards the exit of Ylisse - Altea street. If he remembered correctly, he had come from the east, right? Maybe he had run in circles and cut in through the northern shortcut. He wasn't sure, but Peach just looked at him with curiosity.

" Where are we heading? "

" Somewhere outside of Hyrule, outside the portal, I mean. "

Peach paused, then pointed to the north. Roy gazed at where her finger was pointed. Maybe that was the right way, but Peach knew the place like the back of her hand. Nodding, he continued. He would find Ike, even if they agreed to meet at the plaza.

And thus, Roy realized that he couldn't make small talk.

Him and Peach hadn't said a peep, they hadn't even breathed in the same direction, they just stared ahead. The two hadn't wanted to look at each other for a while. Roy saw a few other wandering monsters, but they ignored him and Peach. They treated them as if they were nonexistent, the same as them. Roy furrowed his brows; had Captain Falcon really wanted to attack him?

Ike walked ahead of the two Hylians, a sword that had the name Tildne engraved into it's handle was grasped firmly in his hand, blood staining the dainty designs. They had met up with a few monsters, some seeming to come for them and some seeming to be minding their own business. Ike didn't like it, not at all. How had subhumans, or whatever they were, come to their world? Did it have something to do with that explosion? He had questions, and answers had better come fast.

" Ike, we're heading for Ylisse - Altea, right? "

" It's Altea - Ylisse, Zelda, and yes, _we are_. "

" Oh, I'm sorry about my mistake. Are we going to find, Roy? "

" Yeah, we need to get him before he gets himself killed. "

Zelda looked as if she was in thought, her time being spent into absentmindedly reading Ticonderoga. Ike glanced back at Zelda, then Link, then to his new weapon. He wanted to know what those creatures were, he couldn't stop his mind from centering around it. They weren't hostile, so they couldn't be zombies. They don't eat flesh, because out of all the dead bodies around them, not one had a single bite mark. _So what the hell?_

Link grunted, signalling that another one of those creatures was coming. Great, he couldn't even begin to fathom how many of them there were. Charging at it, he sliced it into a uneven pair. Sighing, he backed up from the cartilage and blood on the ground, allowing Zelda to do her thing. The Hylian did what she knew to do, and cast a thunder spell, she backed up and allowed Link to stab it in what could be called the head.

 _Then, the first snow of the year came._

Ike had forgotten that it was winter, hadn't he? Yet, upon closer inspection, something else was falling with the snow. It was feathers, each of them landing upon the dead bodies scattered around the three. Ike shot out a shaky breath, a small cloud of vapor rising up. There was a boy, no older than an adolescent, with wings. He was fighting off these monsters like it was nothing. What dimension had he come from? One that didn't reside in this one? Heaven. He was an angel sent from heaven. Could he be a savior? Ike sure as hell knew he didn't look like one, but looks meant nothing.

The young male turned around, a curious look on his face before he smiled a wide smile.

" I came in the nick of time, huh? My name is Pit, Pit the Awesome! "

The three were only able to open and close their mouths, but Ike regained his senses fast enough to answer.

" Oh, um, hey. So– Pit, where did you come from? " Ike asked, still obviously dumbstruck in awe and moderate confusion.

" I come from Skyworld, if you really want to know. "

" **Oh**. "

The two main participants of the conversation stood nervously, Ike more - so than Pit. Zelda stepped up to the young boy and smiled, patting the angel's head before leaning back to look at his wings.

"So, are you going to join us? We have a time limit." Ike said, starting to get annoyed at having to wait to save Roy. He would go on ahead, but he would rather have another ally than to go alone. Plus, it was cold, and it was also snowing like no tomorrow, and Ike wouldn't dare leave someone to die. Pit nodded his head, deciding to stay quiet. Link shuffled, and they took that as a cue to continue moving. They would find Roy, alive or dead.

And thus, Ike and Roy set out to find each other. Maybe they'll meet in the middle, or maybe they'll miss each other completely.

 _All of that depends on intuition and trust._

* * *

Woo, I got this updated, I deserve a sticker or something of the sort. Anywho, I guess that I'll have to try my best to fix up some of this plot and stuff without changing the story drastically. Maybe that's the best way to do it, but I remain unsure with most of this stuff. Anywho, welcome Pit to the party, yay.

edit - I didn't update this much, considering the fact that i accidentally reposted the same chapter ( ch 4 ) in place of this one without realizing it, but hey, I fixed it now.


	4. 4

Peach and Roy had killed 14 of these things and have wasted so many weapons on them, it was unreal; impossible. Roy's thoughts were being ignored for long moments of time, and his modesty wouldn't allow him to say what he wanted to say, and it's not like he hadn't dealt with this for most of the hunt, it was simply what he remembered. How distressing it was for someone like him to go through such troubles, but it was to be expected. Life wasn't _always_ easy.

So far, Peach and Roy have picked up:

1 – 22 bullets

2 – 2 bombs that Roy has pitched with the accuracy of a professional. Ike would be proud as _hell._

3 – 14 grenades that neither him nor Peach know where they originated from. They guessed that there was other survivors. That was just one hell of a guess, though.

4 – 1 sad and lonely sunset, and another bout of being worried.

[AFTERNOON]

They hadn't done much in the day, and they would do even _less_ in the dark of night. Roy frowned deeply, absentmindedly flexing his fingers. He felt like the palm of his hand had been overworked, put to a limit that Roy hadn't thought possible. It hurt, and he still had to fend himself **and** Peach from these creatures. He didn't know why he would focus on the details of what they were, all he knew was that the two needed to start a fire or die out in the frosty night. He wasn't too keen on dying, but he wasn't too keen on surviving either. He was trapped in some sort of awkward limbo, one he couldn't help but try to shove to the back of his mind. In any case, that was what a limbo was; _something that was in a state of inbetween_. He sure as hell wasn't in the waiting room for souls, and he wasn't even sure if he was a forgotten or disregarded human ( he thought that was the case, and he wasn't exactly wrong ), he was just there, standing on a dying planet looking for his friends. He wasn't omniscient, and it wasn't like he could control fate, it was tiring. Tiring to have thoughts among thoughts overlapping and covering the thoughts in the back of his mind, slowly suffocating them until they rose to the surface years later; and when they do unsurface themselves from the crevases of his mind, they aren't very pleasant.

Peach made her way over with a bundle of dry grass, placing it down onto the freezing ground. Roy took note of what she was doing and left to find a few sticks. He had to take his mind off of these thoughts, maybe even by force if he needed to. Man, modesty was being an _ass._ He wasn't one to want to go and do something just to get away from a thought, a simple unreachable thing that seemed like it couldn't be solved, but he could try his hardest, fail or not. Death wouldn't be his end, not quite, anyway. He still had a life to live, but an apocalypse dared to hunt him, to stare him in the face and challenge him to survive. He didn't think of himself as failing to survive, just not being sure _how_.

The only thing he should be worrying about was if they were going to get hypothermia or not. The first snow had happened today, but with an odd amount of pure white feathers mixed in, a beautiful show. If it had been an angel, Roy felt as if he could hope that the world would be safe from anything. This problem that it had, an infestation. _Humans._

For now, Roy chose to pick up sticks, and he would do that until the bad thoughts went away. Would they ever go away? Did they not have the ability to leave him alone, to flee? Thy weren't fleeting thoughts– no, they were **monsters**. Crawling around and whispering their lies, their evidence being as false as them. Roy couldn't take them for granted, though. Nothing could be taken for granted anymore. Not even himself.

Then, he heard the steady beat of feet, the whisper of pages, and a patch of white daring to rival the snow scattered on the ground. It was another creature, but when had they had a rightful mind to read? He paused, sticks grasped tightly in his hand. They were humans, they had to be. Another intricate being, like him in ways that others can see. He let himself shout out into the snow, and his legs to move without carrying him anywhere, and a simple shout left his mouth as he hugged the two twins. They were warm, they were _alive_. The Robins, they didn't fly north nor south, they were right there where he wanted them. They would stay there, for as long as he felt like he had done something right. He then came to realize the things he had done right, he was so far outside the box that he didn't dare to look inside. He had alive humans, and that was all he needed. Roy rushed towards them in a blinding rush of speed, his eyebrows furrowed as he tried to squint though the snow,"Reflet, Robin!" He yelled, snow seeping into his mouth and down his throat. Coughing, Roy continued to run, rubbing at his face with more force than needed until he stood directly infront of them both; staring at them before he suddenly hugged them, snow biting at his neck and ears. Roy was so happy to see them, his mind being freed from it's chain prison. It still had to free it's arms from the cuffs, but the chains were broken. He was finally starting to free himself from his doubts and worries. Roy freed them just to take a look at their attire and items, something he had failed to do before.

Each of them carried many spell tomes, Robin being the one who was skimming through one. He never thought that he would get so worked up over something so simple; he was always so calm, it hadn't even been a day and he longed for the presence of those who he truly knew.

Peach looked fondly at the reunion, picking up sticks that the redhead had dropped and soon starting a fire. She hadn't seen Roy so relaxed since she joined him. He was stiff and silent, seeming to brood whenever the chance came. He seemed to question himself and his motives more and more each second, but now he was openly showing his emotions. Emotions that he had almost shoved to the back of his mind along with his doubts. Roy hugged them again before composing himself, his normal expession. The only difference was that it had a blue tinge to it.

He was happy, that was no surprise, a small smile still on his face. He was happy, and they seemed to be peering off at something behind him and Peach. He glanced back, seeing another flash of white, but also seeing yellow, blue, and two separate hues of brown. Ike. It was him. He had Link, and Zelda, and someone he didn't know. If Roy could choose a time to faint, it would be now. His friends were here, his few friends. He was freed once and for all from his mental troubles, he was on cloud nine. He could barely keep the tears from his eyes as he looked at his _allies_.

 ** _His comrades_**.

Ike and the others gazed at the group ahead, snow slapping and whipping at their faces with no mercy, but they felt heat. A small burst of heat, coming from a struggling fire. Ike and his crew followed it, and now they were here. They were meeting up with people they hadn't seen in a while, and it made Ike's stomach twist. Besides the fact there were dead bodies around them, there was no trace of a single human that was trying to stand on their own. They were all feeding off of the happiness of each other and Roy looked as happy as he had been in _years_. Ike felt his stomach twist even more, a small pulse of his heart told him that he was, in fact, still alive. Everyone was still alive, and Link seemed to be the first one to speak in billions of years,"I think those are the others." He said, using a broken shield he had picked up to brock the snow from his face. Ike glanced over at the group once more, a piercing white catching his eyes,"Isn't that Robin and Reflet?" He whispered, his mouth mostly closed so he wouldn't get any snow in it, a fate his teeth couldn't saw Zelda stiffen slightly, her eyes wide before she decided composed herself,"They're not dead, that's good to know, but what about Marth?" She mumbled, squinting as she tried to make out another blue haired male. Ike nearly exploded in a fit of emotions. He was so confused. Where was Marth? Had he been separated from the group? Had he safely escaped to the areas away from this one (wherever they were) to help repopulate the Earth?

He wiped the bitter frost and dried blood from the corner of his mouth, narrowing his eyes to see further into the smiling faces of his friends. He had answered questions, and he was about to get more answers. More answers meant a chance of surviving. That's their _other_ main goal; surviving.

 _He found them, and they found him. He was " home " at last._

* * *

Wal - Marth remains missing and Kam continues to be a mess with editing and reposting chapters. I wonder when Marth will appear, when you least expect it, or in a cliche type situation? All I know is that there remains no Pokemon and even I am getting impatient.

edit - there's still is no pokemon even tho this is finished and now im mad at myself so I'll edit some in _somewhere._


	5. 5

[NIGHT]

Roy opened his eyes slowly, the cold ground seeming to want to bury him in snow. It was his shift, he had awoken first. Link, _still_ on his shift, gazed at him curiously, and Roy gazed back, his face some sort of bluish purple.

Based on what Roy had gathered, it had to at least be 20° or less by now, and that isn't a very desirable thing when it involved the threat of hypothermia. It was also the beginning of the season, so it would probably be in the negatives by January. Groaning, he stood, flexing his stiff muscles to work the blood back through.

" Hey, Link, you can rest if you want to. I mean, you don't have to go, you can just— "

" I am fine here, Roy. Come, why don't you come and sit with me? I could use someone to talk to. "

" If you're sure, Link. "

Roy took the first step and felt a small twinge of pain shoot through his body, a strong feeling of an undesirable coldness invading his senses. He stumbled slightly before sitting next to the Hyrulian, his face flushed and his lips an awkward shade of indigo. He was freezing, he couldn't even deny it. Even Link glanced over at him with a worried look before draping a jacket over Roy's shoulders. Roy glanced up at him, unable to bring himself to say a small thank you. He took to looking out to the horizon, the stars capturing his attention as he tried to find Orion or the Big Dipper. When he finally warmed up to the point that he wasn't in much danger of dying, he glanced over at Link who was carving somewhat of a curved weapon, hesitant to open his mouth, but quick to stare. He sent a curious look to Link, his mouth in a light frown as he gazed at the beautiful wood carvings. He saw beautiful swirls and well written Hylian phrases, the stars meant nothing to this.

" You seem to be thinking, Roy. Is it okay if I ask what about? "

Link's words seemed to slap him from his thoughts, leaving him glancing between Link's face and his boomerang with a wide eyed stare.

" Oh, I was just thinking about your boomerang. "

" Ah, I see. Hey, do you enjoy hearing my voice? "

Roy felt himself being caught off guard by the question, his brows becoming a furrowed mess as he thought about it. Maybe he did, it was a rare occurrence after all. He couldn't dare to say he didn't like hearing Link's peaceful voice.

" Yes, I do. What is this question about, Link? If you don't mind my prying, you know. "

" Oh. I just thought that I should speak more. Maybe it'll be important for me to do so now, haha. ".

Roy sighed and relaxed slightly, unable to find any words to continue the conversation. Link seemed to acknowledge this, because he then stood and stretched slightly, signalling that he was going to go rest. Roy nodded to him and snuggled up closer to the jacket he had obtained, the stars replacing his previous thoughts once again.

Now that he thought about it, they should have taken some sort of clothing suited for this season. Really, it was bad enough that they had winter was coming in inhumane bursts of cold, but they had to suffer through it all. They had to find food from animals that weren't hibernating, forage around for things that hadn't died, and keep warm at the same time. It was as if the Earth had no pity for people like them, but this was what they deserved for treating the planet so horribly. Roy felt a loathing emptiness swirl in his gut, soon replaced by hadn't eaten since yesterday, had they? Link had brought some food with Ike, Zelda, and Pit, but he probably hid it. A wise plan until someone found what had been hidden.

Roy frowned; they hadn't seen another life since the workers from the pound, and even then they still had no idea how many survivors there were, or at least Roy didn't. He hasn't thought to count the amount of lives that were either lost or about to be killed, he simply hadn't begun. He didn't want to think about it, and the act that they planned to leave people that could easily save hurt worse. He could find and save Marth, but he hasn't dared. He didn't know where he was, and based on the scarce information Reflet and Robin gave, they didn't know either. He was expected to lead a force that they had, something he had never done before, with the help of Ike. He was to be counted on by everyone, shouldering a burden that very few were willing to take, just to survive. How were they going to survive? That question plagued his mind more often than he planned to admit, seeming to suffocate the remaining doubts from earlier yesterday.

Pit, the only one awake besides Roy, gazed at him with a small amount of respect. He was to protect these people, whether he knew them or not, and become their ally. He wasn't sure I they would save the world or make it worse, he was just there for the ride.

" Hey, Roy. I'll take watch. " Pit mumbled it with as much bravery as he could muster. Link shuffled and glanced at him before continuing to rest.

" Mm, are you sure? I'm not tired yet, so you don't have to take over. "

" _Nah,_ I want to. Now get some well deserved sleep, Roy. "

" Okay then, Pit. As long as you don't lessen your health. "

Roy stood and walked past Pit, his turquoise eyes seeming to remain on the stark white of his wings. What a beautiful color, it rivaled the snow to an extent that even Roy couldn't mark. It was, above all else, beautiful. Roy shuffled over to Put's original place ( beside Ike, who radiated heat like no tomorrow ) and closed his eyes, trying his best to ignore the cold snow beneath his body. He murmured a silent prayer and shuffled closer to Ike, falling asleep from the rippling currents of heat coming towards him.

Ike fluttered open his eyes, trying to blink out the wet snow that had settled on his face during the night before. He felt a few flashes of cold seep into his skin, and he shivered. It was still winter, and Ike felt as if it was still fall a day ago. He frowned deeply, choosing to stare at the misty gray the sky decided to show him. His skin still ached with exertion, and his limbs were caked with dried blood and a few cuts and scrapes. What hurt the most was his stomach, an empty feeling seeming to start at his abdomen and end at his lungs. It had only been a day, and he was starting to starve, he wasn't going to survive this.

Ike sat up, choosing to keep himself and his limbs stiffer than the layered ice beneath them. The fire they had set yesterday had seemed to have long since burned out, and the feeling of dread replaced the hunger in his gut; someone here had died. Ike didn't know where this notion came from, but his frantic eyes flitted from everyone around the dry and frozen circle where the fire had been, his gaze resting on Peach. Ike scrambled over to the young woman and gazed at her, his eyes wide with panic. He was right, she had frozen to death without anyone noticing. Her face was a pale blue, accented by purple and dark rings around her eyes. Her fingernails were dark and almost an odd shade of purple, and her lips were frozen closed. He shot a glance over at Pit, who he guessed to be guarding, and shuffled over to the angel, his shoulders as stiff as his movements.

" Pit, hey, Headangel. Get up, _come on._ " Ike grumbled, shaking Pit's oddly warm shoulder.

The brunette jerked awake, his eyes wide as he looked around. Ike guessed he had gotten some rest on his shift, probably soothed by the surprisingly peaceful landscape of the city. The dead bodies remained, but it was still somewhat peaceful. Ike shakily nodded over to Peach, who was being examined frantically by a half awake Robin and Reflet. Pit, in response, shot up and rushed over to the body, Link and Roy sitting up and glancing at each other before they both crawled over to Zelda and woke her up.

A capricious wind brushed against Ike's face, chilling him even more than he would admit. He didn't want anyone else to die, he had to take charge. Now.  
Ike furrowed his brows and made an acute shout, gaining everyone's attention. He was met with eyes of several different colors; some brown, an amount of blue that would equal the ocean, and one who had eyes the color of death. He wished that Peach had the ability to close her eyes right about now.

" _Calm down_! Gods, stop fussing over Peach, please, we need to keep calm." Ike shouted, feeling his body temperature lessen the longer people stared at him. He shivered slightly as Zelda's eyes narrowed at him. Shit, he had messed up big time now. He, for one, wasn't the type of person who would want to annoy someone such as Zelda, no matter what. And now that he had managed to do it, he could almost imagine the lecture coming for him.

" I - Ike has a point, guys. We should try not to have anymore fatalities. Lets eat, then we'll figure something out from there. "

Roy was the one to stand up to the plate, glancing around at everyone who, somewhat reluctantly, nodded.

Ike couldn't stand to eat anything in the presence of a dead body, though, well, the dead body of an _ally_. It made his stomach twist and grunt, caving in on itself after every bite, but he had to eat to survive, and he was going to do just that; survive. Besides finding their allies, that was their goal. They didn't even know where their parents were at this point, but they all knew grieving wouldn't do them much good. Grieving. Ike hadn't done that in such a long time. The last time he had done it was when he was 6, maybe 7, and he hasn't done it since then. The only thing close to it was the empty feeling of loneliness that settled in the pit of his stomach sometimes, and it bothered him most of the time if he was to be honest. He guessed that he was brooding enough, because in the next moment he stood and grabbed his weapon, everyone gazing at him for a moment too long.

" _Come on_. We have no time to waste. "

* * *

To adventure! I write Ike so horribly, like, I really need to fix that, but I like writing him that way? It's hard to explain, but it seems to fit somewhere that no one looked. I guess that I think of Ike much different than most of the public, haha. I guess I'll fix that later, but for now enjoy it. Oh, I'm sorry about the lack of depression for Peach, I'm not very good at writing emotional scenes because they're so complex in my mind, but when I go to write it down it looks really weird to me. I'll figure out how to write it, though!

I didn't have to update much in this chapter, woo! I remember there being a few typos, but I can't find them, so I'll ignore it for now.


	6. 6

By now, the exit to the city was near, and not a monster was in their midst. Robin guessed that they had fled or hidden themselves, but Zelda though that there was something else going on. There was, as everyone knew, not a trace of them besides the decomposing corpses of those slain, a few humans being scattered around the place. It wasn't a disgusting sight anymore, they had seen death so much that they didn't care to look in the direction of it. They knew it was there, and they didn't even need an indicator of it, they simply knew. They had walked until around midday, the sun shining over them as it always had, but the snow clouds stayed. They didn't mind it, the temperature had risen by much since they departed, but it would probably drop before nightfall. They didn't plan to stay out another night, not out in the cold. They wouldn't risk it for anything.

Reflet shuffled through a tome, then another, and then another. She was willing to say that the book was becoming even more annoying as it stayed engraved in her memory. Her brother, Robin, was simply skimming through a Charles Dickens book, ignoring the warm wasteland around them. How long had they been walking? The highway to exit the city was right ahead of them, so they couldn't have been walking too long, but the side of the road had begun to be a common sight. It all started with a tremor, then an explosion, then these monsters, and now the feeling of them being the only humans on Earth. Whilst they had sparse space to walk, they still continued to glance between the person beside them, and the person ahead of them. All eyes were on Ike and Roy's backs, and their leaders had no where to run, they wouldn't allow it.

"Hey, Ike, where are we heading," Roy paused to put a hand in his pocket," you haven't told us that yet." Roy said, glancing up at Ike.

" To Ryu's home. He lives where we can all somewhat stay for a while, now that most of this is over. "

Zelda looked sharply over to Ike, her eyebrows furrowed as much as Roy's had been just a day before. When had he figured out that this was over? There was still the threat of those monsters rising back up again, no matter what Ike said.  
Reflet noticed the brunette's look, and she decided to place a hand on her shoulder. None of them had any time for doubts, they had to trust each other for as long as time would allow, and time was tricky business. Many believed that it tied in with fate, a thing that many believed to be true. Robin and Reflet, however, believed that there was no firm definition of both. There couldn't be, not even an entre essay on theory about it would suffice as enough evidence. They simply had to trust that it was true and move onto the next topic, the next blinding epiphany seeming to drag them back into the deep research of time.

Zelda,trying her hardest to keep her calm, turned and nodded to Reflet. The two understood, and they faced forwards once again, Zelda's spear acting as a sort of flag to them. A proof that they were united and a piece of the cruel and unforgiving world they found themselves in. What had the world become outside the winding and crossing roads of the city? Has it become overrun by these creatures they found themselves facing, the few other survivors choosing to allow their lives to be taken, their religion taking over their mind and soothing them as the unfavorable came? No one was sure, only choosing to believe that they were alive along with the people unaffected in this world. No one knew if their parents, families, friends, or enemies were alive, they just hoped and moved on. That was the full extent of what they could actually do, well, not _exactly_ the extent.

Link looked around in silent awe, the destruction around them minor, even with a few people walking around. Link furrowed his brows, a refugee camp. His guess wasn't far off, it was simply where most survivors knew to go. The edge of town was always the safest place, no matter what the situation, and any sentient being knew that this was the place to be.  
Then, Link looked over and spotted a muscular man, hovering over one of the creatures. In the next moment, it was chopped in half, destroyed in what could be noted as very little time. Ike shot his head over to where he heard a sickening crack, choosing to stare at the scene the large man had caused.

"Ryu?!" Ike shouted, whipping his head to the side and gazing with a confused stare. Roy guessed that this was who they were looking for.

" _That's_ who you said we could stay with?" Roy whispered to the taller male, gazing up to his face that was scrunched in confusion.

Ike merely nodded.

The muscular male, who everyone guessed to be Ryu, turned to the group, a curious stare on his face. He started the small stroll over, a light smile on his face as his path lined up with where Ike was standing. Ike didn't seem to play when he mentioned someone he had met recently. Ike was probably the most prone to meet new people besides Link. Ryu stopped in front of Ike and held out his hand, and Ike shook it, both of them having some sort of smie of respect on their face.

 _They had a chance to gain a new ally, they couldn't mess it up now._

* * *

This was a good idea, trust me. I'm fine, you're fine, and everyone is kinda fine. I might add a Pokemon by chance, haha. I'll make sure to take good care of these characters from now on, I promise. Well, at least as well as an apocalypse fic will allow me to.

This, of course, is going to continue to run until I find a good stopping place since I strayed from the original script I was going for. So yeah, that's some massive amounts of rewriting I have to do in the earlier chapters, to make it go smoother. - wheezes - I'm starting to improve some, and maybe I'll get my grammar fixed up some more, too. ( Maybe continuing to learn a second language with a slightly different concept of grammar isn't a good idea, but I got this. I think. )

So little editing on some of these chapters, I'm so happy, maaaaan.


	7. 7

Ike entered and felt a cool draft of wind, he let himself unwind. It had been some 90° outside when the group was making their way from the inner part of the city, but now it felt nice. The inner part of the city itself was suspiciously cold, but the city was huge, so Ike wasn't so surprised when he found out about the drastic changes in temperature. He was, in fact, surprised that they had even made it here on intuition alone. _It really was a small world._  
Roy let out a sigh and slouched for a moment before standing up straight,"Planning first, right?" Roy asked, grabbing a small sheet of paper from his pocket. Ike noticed that that paper was a heat map, and he snatched it from the redhead's grasp,"Where'd this come from?" He asked, frowning slightly as Ryu peeked over his shoulder. The paper was sliced into equal sixths, a grid, if you thought about it. Ike found that Roy had written a few notes beside it, and he decided to give it back to the redhead before he got too invested with the notes,"Mm, we need to hurry up and plan everything first. You guys go ahead, I'm getting something to eat." Ike said, shuffling towards the end of the hallway. Roy frowned at his Ike's behavior,"Hm. Well, I guess he's tired right now. We should figure out all the technical stuff now and then we'll allow you and Ike to finish up the fighting formations and stuff." Roy said, rolling up his dirty sleeves and rubbing his hands on his pants,"That's okay, right?" He asked, picking at his fingernails quietly. Ryu nodded and gave a grunt, turning towards what Roy guessed was a meeting room.

The two arrived into the room, the cold blast of the air conditioning being the strongest at the furthest left corner. Roy slowly untied his dirt caked shoes and looked about for a moment, taking in the features of the room as he slowly took off his shoe. It was a simple room, a few books, a chair or two, and a large table in the dead center. Shulk gave him a curious look from the corner he was sitting in, but Roy paid it no mind. Roy undid the other shoe, choosing to look at the multitude of windows, now dirty, that lined the wall, a ladder leading into what Roy guessed was the attic. Kicking the last shoe off, Roy stood up straight again and nodded to Ryu,"Well, lets start." He said before making his way over to the table Ryu stood hunched over at, seeming to be reading the map that sat on it. Shulk had gotten up, too, and was marking a few places that Roy guessed was important.  
Shulk frowned at a place he marked, Ryu glancing at it and frowning,"Hm, how strange." Roy heard Ryu mutter, the redhead now arriving at the meeting table. Whatever was so confusing was about to be revealed, and Roy was about to find out what it involved.

Ike shuffled through the fridge, Pit seeming to be keen on dropping ice cream onto the floor and eating it with a content expression. To be honest, that was the day Ike started to wonder if angels could get sick. Frowning, Ike dug a bottle of what he thought to be preserved meat from the creatures and stared at it,"I didn't think Shulk was so serious about his research." He mumbled, sliding it back towards the very back of the fridge before closing it again. He, in fact, hadn't liked to stare at anything that was even related to those things. At least, not right now he didn't. Pit just looked up, his eyes wide in curiosity before he continued to eat the last of his floor ice cream off the ground. How gross. Reflet strolled in with a bored expression and slid a book onto the island with a flick of her wrist. Ike guessed she was bored from the lack of books to read. Link trailed in soon after, a new boomerang in his hands," _Oh_ , I didn't know that the kitchen was a popular spot for bored people. There are a few more monsters outside if you want to take a shot at them to sharpen your skills." He said, sliding towards the fridge and grabbing a glass of water from the inside. Ike rose his eyebrows at Link's extroverted behavior. He was never intent on talking, only choosing to show his thoughts through actions, but Ike guessed how hard it was showing what you thought by mere waves and facial expressions. Now that he thought about it, that was probably the longest sentence he ever heard from the Hylian. Reflet seemed to ponder his offer, only as soon as she nodded she grabbed her tome from the table and embarked for the front door. Link watched Pit with wide eyes, only waiting until he was finished to confront him. Ike had no time to listen to Pit being scolded, nor did he want to. Ike jogged to the front door and watched Zelda, Reflet, and Robin blasting the twenty or so creatures with their tomes. Zelda and Reflet using Arcfire while Robin used Zelda's Ticonderoga. He rose his eyebrows, the enemy be if defeated in less than 7 minutes at most. Ike clapped and crossed his arms, trying his best to judge their facial expressions. The only one he could guess was the surprise in Robin's eyes. The four of the strolled inside, not a word spoken by Ike as the three behind him shared a few techniques and tricks to each other, Reflet writing a few notes on the side of the first page. He heard Robin making noises of confirmation, too. Ike took a turn for what he remembered to be a bedroom, the cool draft of air seeming to pick up the closer he got. Robin, Reflet, and Zelda had already left him to, probably, go to the kitchen where the others were.

Sliding into the air conditioned room, Ike shimmied off his pants and searched the closet for another pair. Finding some that fit, Ike slowly put them on, admiring the feeling of no dried dirt, blood, and soot on his jeans. He shuffled over to a bed nearby and jumped onto it, finding a note under a pillow that read that this was a room for guests. Well, it did have 7 beds. Turning over onto his side, Ike stared at the window on the side of the room, trying his best to imagine the scenery that lay behind the closed blinds. Maybe it was looking towards the part of the city they came from, maybe it was looking at the end of the city and facing towards the next city. All Ike knew was that he was famished, and that he couldn't get his thoughts straight. Well, when he woke up he'd work on that, but for now all he cared for was rest.

Roy hummed in a content tone, glad that his message got through to the incredibly dense Ryu. It was, all by itself, an achievement Roy was proud of, and he would stay that way until he felt otherwise. Shulk had long since fallen asleep at the table, maybe halfway through the planning, and was now snoring. Roy nudged his shoulder as a sign to get up, which Shulk did with very little grace. Roy looked at his watch, taking note that afternoon it was only 4:34, and that they had much time to do some free period activity before they got Ike. Roy said a quick summary of the final plan to Shulk and rushed from the room, warm air hitting him in the face as if he was in a desert. This would not do, not at all. Roy stumbled into the kitchen, looking for something cool to drink before he did anything that would make him regret his decision. He found Link and Ike sitting at a counter, sharing a few stories and having a few laughs before any of them had to do anything. Ike was currently sharing a story about the several times Roy stumbled during baseball practice in 6th grade, all because the redhead hadn't gotten any sleep the night before.  
"Glad to see you're up, Ike." Roy said, shuffling over to the fridge and grabbing a Coke that had been in there for a total of a day. It was, of course, cold enough to Roy's liking. Ike and Link turned to him with raised eyebrows, probably wondering when he had arrived into the room. Link lightly smiled at Roy and took a sip of his sweet tea, probably giving kudos to Roy for sneaking in as quietly as he had. A faint curve of the corners of his mouth gave way that he did indeed approved of Roy's stealth. Roy took a sip of his Coke and motioned for Ike to stand, an understanding smile on his face as Ike groaned. Ike let out a small grunt as he stood up, trying his best to seem as if he wasn't in the least bit still sleepy, maybe even hiding that he wasn't in the mood to do this.

 _Well, he might as well get to work, right?_

* * *

After wheezing for 20 minues straight, I finally got this chapter out. I got swamped last weekend so I couldn't get this chapter up, nor could I correct the other chapters, so I'm guessing that the deadline weekend will be just for that. Anywho, there are only about two or three more chapters left for this fic, and I know the best way to end it, but I can't tell you how, that would ruin it. Instead, you'll just have to wait, like, three or four days.


	8. 8

Ike entered and felt a cool draft of wind, he let himself unwind. It had been some 90° outside when the group was making their way from the inner part of the city, but now it felt nice. The inner part of the city itself was suspiciously cold, but the city was huge, so Ike wasn't so surprised when he found out about the drastic changes in temperature. He was, in fact, surprised that they had even made it here on intuition alone. _It really was a small world._  
Roy let out a sigh and slouched for a moment before standing up straight,"Planning first, right?" Roy asked, grabbing a small sheet of paper from his pocket. Ike noticed that that paper was a heat map, and he snatched it from the redhead's grasp,"Where'd this come from?" He asked, frowning slightly as Ryu peeked over his shoulder. The paper was sliced into equal sixths, a grid, if you thought about it. Ike found that Roy had written a few notes beside it, and he decided to give it back to the redhead before he got too invested with the notes,"Mm, we need to hurry up and plan everything first. You guys go ahead, I'm getting something to eat." Ike said, shuffling towards the end of the hallway. Roy frowned at his Ike's behavior,"Hm. Well, I guess he's tired right now. We should figure out all the technical stuff now and then we'll allow you and Ike to finish up the fighting formations and stuff." Roy said, rolling up his dirty sleeves and rubbing his hands on his pants,"That's okay, right?" He asked, picking at his fingernails quietly. Ryu nodded and gave a grunt, turning towards what Roy guessed was a meeting room.

The two arrived into the room, the cold blast of the air conditioning being the strongest at the furthest left corner. Roy slowly untied his dirt caked shoes and looked about for a moment, taking in the features of the room as he slowly took off his shoe. It was a simple room, a few books, a chair or two, and a large table in the dead center. Shulk gave him a curious look from the corner he was sitting in, but Roy paid it no mind. Roy undid the other shoe, choosing to look at the multitude of windows, now dirty, that lined the wall, a ladder leading into what Roy guessed was the attic. Kicking the last shoe off, Roy stood up straight again and nodded to Ryu,"Well, lets start." He said before making his way over to the table Ryu stood hunched over at, seeming to be reading the map that sat on it. Shulk had gotten up, too, and was marking a few places that Roy guessed was important.  
Shulk frowned at a place he marked, Ryu glancing at it and frowning,"Hm, how strange." Roy heard Ryu mutter, the redhead now arriving at the meeting table. Whatever was so confusing was about to be revealed, and Roy was about to find out what it involved.

Ike shuffled through the fridge, Pit seeming to be keen on dropping ice cream onto the floor and eating it with a content expression. To be honest, that was the day Ike started to wonder if angels could get sick. Frowning, Ike dug a bottle of what he thought to be preserved meat from the creatures and stared at it,"I didn't think Shulk was so serious about his research." He mumbled, sliding it back towards the very back of the fridge before closing it again. He, in fact, hadn't liked to stare at anything that was even related to those things. At least, not right now he didn't. Pit just looked up, his eyes wide in curiosity before he continued to eat the last of his floor ice cream off the ground. How gross. Reflet strolled in with a bored expression and slid a book onto the island with a flick of her wrist. Ike guessed she was bored from the lack of books to read. Link trailed in soon after, a new boomerang in his hands," _Oh_ , I didn't know that the kitchen was a popular spot for bored people. There are a few more monsters outside if you want to take a shot at them to sharpen your skills." He said, sliding towards the fridge and grabbing a glass of water from the inside. Ike rose his eyebrows at Link's extroverted behavior. He was never intent on talking, only choosing to show his thoughts through actions, but Ike guessed how hard it was showing what you thought by mere waves and facial expressions. Now that he thought about it, that was probably the longest sentence he ever heard from the Hylian. Reflet seemed to ponder his offer, only as soon as she nodded she grabbed her tome from the table and embarked for the front door. Link watched Pit with wide eyes, only waiting until he was finished to confront him. Ike had no time to listen to Pit being scolded, nor did he want to. Ike jogged to the front door and watched Zelda, Reflet, and Robin blasting the twenty or so creatures with their tomes. Zelda and Reflet using Arcfire while Robin used Zelda's Ticonderoga. He rose his eyebrows, the enemy be if defeated in less than 7 minutes at most. Ike clapped and crossed his arms, trying his best to judge their facial expressions. The only one he could guess was the surprise in Robin's eyes. The four of the strolled inside, not a word spoken by Ike as the three behind him shared a few techniques and tricks to each other, Reflet writing a few notes on the side of the first page. He heard Robin making noises of confirmation, too. Ike took a turn for what he remembered to be a bedroom, the cool draft of air seeming to pick up the closer he got. Robin, Reflet, and Zelda had already left him to, probably, go to the kitchen where the others were.

Sliding into the air conditioned room, Ike shimmied off his pants and searched the closet for another pair. Finding some that fit, Ike slowly put them on, admiring the feeling of no dried dirt, blood, and soot on his jeans. He shuffled over to a bed nearby and jumped onto it, finding a note under a pillow that read that this was a room for guests. Well, it did have 7 beds. Turning over onto his side, Ike stared at the window on the side of the room, trying his best to imagine the scenery that lay behind the closed blinds. Maybe it was looking towards the part of the city they came from, maybe it was looking at the end of the city and facing towards the next city. All Ike knew was that he was famished, and that he couldn't get his thoughts straight. Well, when he woke up he'd work on that, but for now all he cared for was rest.

Roy hummed in a content tone, glad that his message got through to the incredibly dense Ryu. It was, all by itself, an achievement Roy was proud of, and he would stay that way until he felt otherwise. Shulk had long since fallen asleep at the table, maybe halfway through the planning, and was now snoring. Roy nudged his shoulder as a sign to get up, which Shulk did with very little grace. Roy looked at his watch, taking note that afternoon it was only 4:34, and that they had much time to do some free period activity before they got Ike. Roy said a quick summary of the final plan to Shulk and rushed from the room, warm air hitting him in the face as if he was in a desert. This would not do, not at all. Roy stumbled into the kitchen, looking for something cool to drink before he did anything that would make him regret his decision. He found Link and Ike sitting at a counter, sharing a few stories and having a few laughs before any of them had to do anything. Ike was currently sharing a story about the several times Roy stumbled during baseball practice in 6th grade, all because the redhead hadn't gotten any sleep the night before.  
"Glad to see you're up, Ike." Roy said, shuffling over to the fridge and grabbing a Coke that had been in there for a total of a day. It was, of course, cold enough to Roy's liking. Ike and Link turned to him with raised eyebrows, probably wondering when he had arrived into the room. Link lightly smiled at Roy and took a sip of his sweet tea, probably giving kudos to Roy for sneaking in as quietly as he had. A faint curve of the corners of his mouth gave way that he did indeed approved of Roy's stealth. Roy took a sip of his Coke and motioned for Ike to stand, an understanding smile on his face as Ike groaned. Ike let out a small grunt as he stood up, trying his best to seem as if he wasn't in the least bit still sleepy, maybe even hiding that he wasn't in the mood to do this.

 _Well, he might as well get to work, right?_

* * *

After wheezing for 20 minues straight, I finally got this chapter out. I got swamped last weekend so I couldn't get this chapter up, nor could I correwct the other chapters, so I'm guessing that the deadline weekend will be just for that. Anywho, there are only about two or three more chapters left for this fic, and I know the best way to end it, but I can't tell you how, that would ruin it. Instead, you'll just have to wait, like, three or four days.


	9. 9

Ike made his way to the meeting room, trying his best to cover up the dark bags under his eyes. He had gotten a good sleep, but maybe all that staying up a night or two before had gotten to him. Maybe it was just the stress he had to deal with. Yeah, it was probably something to do with stress, and baseball would probably help to relieve it in whole. He had no time to catch and pitch with Roy, though, he had other things to do, like finish up the battle plans. He had to be a leader, and that was what he was going to be, a leader. Ike pushed open the door to the meeting room and glances at Shulk and Ryu's faces. They were focused on the paper in front of them, Robin and Reflet seeming to be finding some flaws in what was the previous plan. There weren't many in total, just a few based on the sheet with red pen marks beside the twins. Ike felt himself become filled with energy, his eyes lighting up as soon as he saw the newly acquired weapons in the corner. Ike saw a beautiful sword with a golden blade at the middle of the pile, and frowned at it. Was it as comfortable as Tildne ,or was it something of a powerhouse? All Ike knew was that it had a war filled aura about it, and he would rather take the warm feeling his current weapon gave off instead of that thing. The four at the table noticed his presence after a few minutes, and they greeted Ike properly, moving Ike over to the table to review plans for the mission. Ike gazed with a frown at the plans, he had never see so many possible routes, possible exits, but this _was_ a large city. Ike rose his eyebrows, and the others explained and got him caught up with the previous plan. Ike nodded and shuffled through who he thought to be for the front lines, he had better make this count.

Roy gazed lazily at the light in the middle of the kitchen, Link now starting to become bored, the small talk they had before starting to fade out into an awkward silence. There was nothing more to speak about, at least nothing that they valued enough to talk about. The light flickered after every blink Link did, and every fourth flicker was the quickest, and every first the slowest. It put Roy in a trance, only breaking out of it when Link placed his 7th glass of iced tea against Roy's face. If he was to be honest, Roy was probably as close to a frog as he could get when he kept from his seat in confusion. Link, as you would expect, let out a ghost of a laugh,"I've never seen you so terrified except the time you got suspended and Eliwood took all your baseballs." Link said, a grin on his face and his eyes glowing. It was, of course, a thing to talk about, and Roy took it as a sign. He felt pleased with where be conversation was going, and regained his senses,"Yeah, _that_ was for a reason, but have you even _seen_ Ike before he's gotten a whooping?"

Zelda waited patiently in her room for the others to get back, Pit already deciding to hit the hay before thy had to wake up tomorrow, or maybe in the middle of the night. The warm glow of the afternoon sun lit up his chocolate brown hair into a soft chestnut, and the closed windows were open to let some warm air through. It was nice, no worries until they had to do something drastic. It was like a vacation to them, or at least until they had to fight off them again. She'd prayed long hours about that, she hoped that the tree goddesses would answer her prayers. No on wished to fight off these creatures, they felt no need to besides self defense, but she felt as if it was more than that. No one had looked very into what had caused this, but based on what she had read on a stray newspaper, a nuclear power plant had exploded, sending radiation about the city. She guessed that it was that, but she would rather wait until she could confirm it before telling her theories.  
Pit shuffled around on the top bunk, his wings twitching slightly as he attempted to adjust himself. Zelda grabbed a book and glanced at the cover, the object being an Algebra I book. The Hylian Princess smiled and brought out a piece of printer paper that was in a nearby drawer, that would take her mind off of this. Flipping to the first page, she completed the sample problems before delving into her own little world.

Pit's world was quiet, peaceful as he wanted it to be. Nothing bothered him when he dreamed, not even the alarm clock, nor Lady Palutena. It was, as you could guess, as relaxing as sitting in a spring. It also comforted him, gave him nightmares, and even worried him. Dreams weren't anything to mess with, and neither was this one. It was all just pink. Pink fluffy creatures he recalled to be a Waddle Dee ( or fifty ), and pink fluffy clouds. He would be surprised if it all wasn't cotton candy, but what truely piqued his interest was a pink puffball Lady Palutena once called a " _Kirby_." It looked, to say the least, odd. Hm, well, he might as well have some fun while he's here,"Hey, Kirby, right?"

A thud. That's what all of them heard, a simultaneous noise that caught their attention, some more than others. Roy and Link's heads snapped up to the ceiling, one of them listening and the other ready to strike. Zelda and a groggy Pit seemed to walk into the kitchen as well, the thud resounding as soon as they walked into the room, making Pit jolt and nearly smack Zelda with his wings. They all furrowed their eyebrows, trying their best to hear where it was coming from. It sounded from the ceiling, but where? The planning crew stepped into the kitchen later, Robin holding a large tome with a deep frown. They had no time for this, they didn't know who or what they were dealing with, but they might as well deal with it now. "Lets look outside and see what's up there." Mumbled Ryu, grabbing some gauze and wrapping a complex design in his fingers. Roy nodded and glanced at the rest of the group, making sure that all of them wanted to check it out. All of them made their way outside, the late afternoon chill reaching them right before they opened the door. Link grabbed his supposed weapon, his boomerang, and crouched in front of Zelda, ready to spring for his princess. Roy shuffled to the front, right behind Pit, and grabbed a few bombs from his pockets. The magic users had several tomes, good, they were prepared in terms of supplies, but were they skilled? Ike let out a breath and got ready to charge, holding his sword tightly before he shoved the heavy wooden door open, charging outside and glancing around. What greeted them was an entire line of the creatures entering the city, the survivors trying to fend them off before they got closer to the other residents who couldn't fight. Roy frowned and charged ahead, Ike and the rest of the group following.

The first person he saw was Lyn, and he rushed over to greet the previous baker," _Lyn_! Hey, Lyn!" He shouted, tossing a few bombs into the large line of zombies. The green haired Sacaean glanced over to the group she heard her name from, and frowned as much as Roy,"Roy, I'm glad you're alive, but what are you doing here?" She asked, glancing at the group composed of teenagers ( besides Ryu ), then back to Roy. The redhead sighed and scratched the back of his neck, trying his best to explain all that had happened,"No time to explain, but all I know is that this gigantic hoard of the creatures were here." He rushed, both of the bombs exploding. Zelda and Reflet, the grand wizards of the group, destroyed the creatures with the flick of their wrists, trying their best to keep them at bay long enough for the others to form a stronger counterattack. Ike was, along with Shulk and Ryu,were holding the front lines along with Isaac and who he guessed was Daisy, a friend to Peach. Lyn stared at Roy for a moment then gave one of her encouraging smiles as she rushed off, Robin seeming to catch eye of her. The temporary tactician rushed over to Roy with a frown, shouting a few orders to the others before he stopped in front of Roy,"Hey, that was Lyn, right? I think there was a famous tactician who, um, Mark it was. Do you know where he is right now?" Robin asked, casting a quick spell that destroyed an entire row of the creatures, giving the others more room to charge. Roy shook his head, glancing at the main front to see how they were doing every few minutes. Robin reluctantly nodded before running a hand through his pearly hair, stress showing in his movements.

Roy glanced up at the sky a few seconds at the right time, the sun immediately catching his attention. The large sphere glowed a blazing red, the creatures seeming to mutate as the sky turned an alarming crimson color. What was this, the end of the world? Roy felt his breath hitch in his throat, his pupils expanding and seeming to dilate more and more as he felt fear taking over him, but the calm didn't come, it wouldn't. Roy's head shot down, and he ran towards the front lines, the creatures swiping the militia - like people out of the way and seeming to be intent on one thing, the center of the city. Roy hadn't seen cartilage like this in a while, and the decaying hands as big as him swiping people away in a mass of blood and cartilage didn't help. Roy saw Pit fly above and take one of them down, only to get a wing torn off and flung into the nearest building. Ike caught the angel and ran to the sidelines, consoling the angel as he, or it, screamed in pain. Zelda, Reflet, and Shulk were caught beneath one of the creatures large feet, crushed before any could scream. _Monsters_. Ryu and Link were crushed instantly by a building that Ryu couldn't hold up much longer, and then, h.

 _There was no end to the screams they shouted into the crimson sky, the sun only getting darker and darker as it fell down the horizon, until all he could see was darkness._

Roy shot up from his resting place at the counter, his eyes frantic and his breath heavy. That was, to say the least, a very displeasing dream, maybe even a nightmare. A warm hand rested on Roy's forehead, and when he whirled his head around, he saw it was Ike. He was alive an unharmed besides the dark circles under his eyes, and Roy nearly shouted to the heavens and back how happy he was that everyone was okay, or at least everyone left. Ike was alive, Pit, Reflet, Shulk, Ryu, Robin, Zelda, Link, his friends. They were okay, they were alright. Once Roy's breath returned to some state of normal, he stopped his staring at Ike and directed his shaky gaze to the ground. A dear feat to him, and kept them there, Ike's frown forgotten and shoved into the back of his mind to grow spider webs.

 _It was okay. He was okay. Everyone i y._

* * *

 _Heeeey,_ so the deadline got pushed back until early October, meaning that I get to work a little bit more on this fic. I don't want it to end up being something that was cut short because I wanted to meet the original deadline, so I'll try my best to stretch out the story a _little_ longer, but there are very few more chapters to go, there really are. Plus, these guys suck at searching for Marth, like, _guys._

Anywho, enjoy this chapter, and any reviews are welcome, I guess.


	10. 10

A cool draft entered the room from where Ike was sitting on his bed, the night young and troubled. He had been awake for hours, the time drawling on and on until Ike couldn't take it anymore. No matter how alert he had to be, he couldn't sleep, he probably wouldn't until the crack of dawn, and even then he would be sluggish. Shuffling out of bed, Ike made his way over to where Roy was sleeping, the redhead's eyebrows furrowed and his hair tousled, Ike couldn't help but to stare. The freezing winter draft blew through the window, making Ike shiver before he walked over to it and closed it with the gentlest thud he could bring it to make. Still, Robin startled awake, gazing at the environment with wild, tireless eyes. Ike frowned at the display and grunted to let him know of his presence. Robin's head shot over to where the swordsman was standing, the entire room being bathed in an awkward silence until Robin mumbled an apology and flopped back down onto his bed to rest, the chirping of one or two crickets echoing out into the night. Ike sighed and left the room, grabbing the quilt from his bed just so he wouldn't risk freezing. He could gaze at the stars, perhaps? Or maybe take a quick run around the neighborhood. Anything to tire him out, and he would take extreme measures to that, even hitting his head on a rock as a last measure.

Ike tip toed down the hallway with oddly silent steps, the only sound in the home being the animals outside, Shulk _snoring_ , and the fridge making an odd humming noise. It was, what he would title: the calmest calm to ever calm him. Hell, he would take to sleeping anywhere if it was this level of calm, and to think that no one was shaken enough to sleep, they simply treated it as a way of life. Ike was, believe it or not, jealous of those who think that way, those who are calm. Not once did the thought of killing leave his mind, and his childish skill of forgetfulness wasn't going to take him far when it came to this. No one could, not unless they were some superhuman.  
A cool draft sunk under Ike's quilt, the teenager ignoring it and draping it onto his shoulders as if it was a cape. It was, in a way. It granted pride like no other, and Ike needed something right now. This pride seemed to fit the bill to some sort of foreign extent. The heavy creak of the door was quiet under Ike's touch, and he slipped from the house unnoticed, the cool night air forcing his lungs to open and his breaths to become less shallow. It was, in fact, how Ike thought of the world. The deeper you got into the beauty, the more breath it'll give you. For Ike, taking breaths away was nearly _impossible._

The freezing ground crunched under Ike's feet, the latter paying no mind to it as he made his way up a small hill, his "cape" flowing behind him as if it wasn't a heavy quilt. To him, however, it remained to be pride. Ike moved himself closer towards the hill, the sky catching his attention at small intervals, and the rest of the time, he focused on the top of the hill. Ike plopped down into the freezing, sticky snow and stared. He stared for a long time at the sky, his eyes captured by the beauty of it all. Several stars and galaxies, but he was stuck on this one. _So many_. Ike felt himself slipping from his mind, he felt his eyes drooping after staring for 30 minutes straight, and he felt himself rise and walk the way back. His movements were drunken, and he probably wouldn't get inside without being found stumbling around. Ike settled on resting on the front porch, and that he did. His cape wrapped around him like a cocoon and he found himself comfortable on the hard cement. It was, to say the least, an effect that exhaustion had.

[THE NEXT DAY]

Morning came, bringing with it a load of confused humans ( and Hyrulians ) staring at a peaceful Ike. Roy sighed and lightly shook the sleeping male, Ike jolting before shooting up and reaching for a weapon that wasn't there. Roy slowly pressed and hand to Ike's temple and frowned,"Good morning, Ike." He mumbled, making sure that Ike didn't have a fever nor an illness. Zelda frowned in the background, shuffling through a satchel before she tossed a bottle of medicine towards Ike,"Drink some of that, it has some antibodies in it to keep you from getting sick." She said, Ike roughly snatching it from the air and waterfalling it. Roy frowned for a moment before taking the bottle from Ike and tossing it back to Zelda. Well, it wasn't much of a toss, it was more like a pitch. Old habits must die hard, and it was true.

After lifting Ike from the ground and Link scolding him for a moment, they went into the kitchen to eat breakfast. A thick blanket of creeping fear surrounded them all, and Pit seeming to be feeling it the most, you'd think that it'd be Shulk. Robin slowly ate one of his pancakes with a frown, his gaze set on Pit and his floor - food extravaganza. Really, Ryu was going to be _pissed_ that he had to clean up the kitchen today. This was also the day they needed to set off, the dry pancakes being the last thing they ate there before leaving. You see, Ike had made another set of plans for the group, saying that they needed to search for, and find, their parents. Shulk also needed to get back home, so they decided to take Shulk with them until they passed by the city he lived in. Ike remembered him saying that it was more like a crowded town, and that still made him chuckle. It was, now that he thought of it, a good plan, and based on all the looks they had on their faces, they were informed this morning about it. Well, you can't see everything. Ike spotted Roy take a quick jab at Link's pancake and stuff it into his mouth, wildly gazing at the disgruntled Hylian as he chewed. Ike frowned and grumbled something about Roy being greedy before he scooted over to do some more brooding before eating his warm breakfast, everyone else waiting for him to finish so they knew what to pack as extras. Ike silently hoped Pit would get his own bag, he really did.

"So, we're heading out, Ryu." Ike mumbled, a sad smile on his face as he grabbed a satchel of food and some water from Ryu. Ryu just laughed and patted him on the back, a reassuring effort as he pushed them out of the home, handing Shulk a map before waving them off. Ike took that as a sign to head out, and that's what he did. The entirety of the crew set off, a freezing draft of what was a remnant of the night before blew in their faces as they continued to travel from the city. There was no way their family could be here, not that they knew. If so, then someone would have told him something, but everyone knew where thy could have gone, and they followed. It was like a sixth sense, and no one was to judge it; they knew, they really did, and they wouldn't tell a soul about it.

Roy was silent as they walked from Ryu's house, his eyes on the hard cement and rigid rocks, on the road. He, with a few others, thought of all the questions they could of asked the others. Roy still hadn't gotten to ask Lyn about his father, and no one had found Marth yet, either. He was, to them, a lost case with very little hope of being found. Instead, they put that motivation into something else, like getting somewhere safer before anything happened to them. Shulk was surveying the map he was given, making sure to jot down their path so they know where they were going, and where they came from. The cold draft remained as they made their way further out of the city, the amount of people becoming less and less until there wasn't even pavement. It was, in all honesty, like a forest. Traces of footprints littered the ground, and the snow had clearly begun to melt. Pine trees and barren oaks littered the area, an odd combination of trees that almost none of them had seen before, but Shulk seemed to like the deep smell of the pines. Birds that liked the winter, ( the climate in the forest oddly felt like Spring ) which were very few to be in with, fluttered and shuffled, the trees shaking and rattling at their movements. Roy was slowly becoming accustomed to the smell of pine as Shulk had, and Ike seemed to be getting used to it quickly, too, or he was just hiding his unidentified disgust very well. Ike seemed almost– happy.

To Roy, it was unusual to see Ike so pleased with such a deep scent, the only scent he seemed to be moderately pleased with was fresh grass and baseballs, but he seemed pleased with this. Roy, for one reason, didn't like the forest because of the towering trees, all of them seeming to want to fall at any minute. It was unsettling, and even Link knew it, the Hylian glancing around time to time instead of continuing to make small talk with his princess. Roy nervously glanced around before his facial expression returned to its normal state. Roy hadn't a single idea where he was going, the only thing catching his attention was the small signs telling people to "stop" and "slow." It was slightly unnerving to see the signs, but not see any vehicles besides a few overturned ones here and there, but even then they were big eighteen wheelers. Everything must've been big this far from the city, the rest being a simple rural landscape with a large sky. The thought alone made Roy's stomach twist slightly, and his steps to waver a little bit. Link, the one standing beside him, held a strong hand on his shoulder to steady the redhead's grip, continuing to look ahead with his determined expression, his eyes refusing to flit about for a single moment. Roy felt himself gingerly toss the Hylian's hand off his shoulder and continue to walk, his movements stiff and yet some sort of nimble. He felt like an awkward feline.

 _Their adventure continued, their focus from Marth and other allies to their parents and possibly reconstruction. Yet, none knew what awaited them in the future, and they didn't even try._

* * *

I have so many more chapters to post, this series ending at an unlucky 13 like I planned. It should go well, I hope. I do work hard on this to some extent, you know.

Now, lets see how the rest of this plays out, shall we?


	11. 11

The forest remained, the sky starting to glow in a sort of light blue. Midday was upon them, Shulk's watch ringing out to signal the fact it was 12 o' clock, and they were getting accustomed to the strong smells of the forest. A few paths crossed theirs, Shulk noticing none of them, and the map wasn't marked in that direction. Apparently, they had walked ( and they ran like wild hogs at random intervals ) about 3 miles in the past hour or two, Shulk mumbling something about good progress before they all sat down to take a brief break, Shulk nearly passing out from the heat they had endured. It was strange, the further in one direction they went, the hotter it became, and even Shulk hadn't felt any heat like this in the middle of winter.  
"Mm. Ike, it's gettin hot, my phone says that it's about 77°, and it's _the middle of winter._ " Link said, placing his phone in a pocket he had strapped onto his belt. Ike rose his eyebrows, glancing over their area. Robin and Shulk had taken to undressing to either their underwear or to the clothes underneath their jacket and boots; Link was sitting on a stump shirtless, scabbard resting beside him; Zelda and Roy rested under trees, Roy making puddles everywhere as he sweated literal gallons. Ike frowned and held onto a small canteen, the water inside almost empty, save for a few inches left,"Damn, it wasn't that hot a few days ago. It's like the further we get to the next city, we find ourselves being burned alive, not to mention it's winter." Ike said, leaning back against the tree he was resting on. Reflet nodded, her coat and winter boots taken off like Robin's, but she was fanning herself with a tome. It was, in fact, a truth they had to realise. It was like trying to find someone while playing Hot and Cold; they knew they were getting hotter and hotter, and when they got there they might as well expected a burning volcano, magma burning them alive and giving them a flaming death, and Roy probably wouldn't make it halfway there without _dying._  
Ike stood, making his way over to the groaning redhead who Zelda was vigorously fanning, even using a few ice spells to make sure he stayed cold,"Hey, Roy." Ike said, stopping in front of the redhead and placing his hand on their head. Roy grunted in a sort of response, moving himself so he could look at Ike without having to lean his head up even more; Ike moved his hand, Roy's head feeling as if it was cool, but he knew that Roy was much warmer than that,"You want to continue?" He said, moving to situate himself further than the redhead before he fried him alive with his body heat that came from him like steam from boiling water. Roy moved to sit up fully, his back now against the heavily scented bark of the pine,"If it means finding my father, then I would." Roy said, a determined glint in his eyes being replaced by a content one as Ike nodded,"Well, this is the only chance you had, so, um, yeah." Ike said, moving away from the tree Roy and Zelda sat at, choosing to walk back into the sun filled path and toss sunscreen at Robin and Reflet.

[NOON]

Ike stood, the group's break ending short as Ike stood suddenly, eating some dried meat that he had packed in a bag. It was peaceful, the birds deciding to pick a fight over his dried meats more than once, but besides that, it was calm. Zelda had found a way to keep a strong ice spell on Roy for a day or two, vanquishing Ike's worry about the heat, but making him worry about the cold,"He does get too cold once his body temperature gets below 69°, so keep an eye on him, okay?" Ike said, a deep frown on his face as he stared at Zelda. The princess made a face before Reflet placed a hand on her shoulder,"We will, _trust me._ " She said, glancing up at Zelda's unreadable expression. Zelda stiffly nodded, something that she had obviously been taught when she was a child, or she simply learned it by herself. Roy sensed the mood and frowned lightly, rushing up beside Ike and pressing his hand to the indigo haired teen's arm,"Ike, don't be so rude to Zelda. I know you worry about any more of us dying, but we'll be fine; trust my instincts, please?" Roy said, his eyebrows turned upwards as Ike ripped his arm away from the deathly cold touch,"Fine." Ike said, glancing over to the forest beside the entire group, but this time it was away from Roy and the others.

The sky had many hours left in it, about 9 or 10, Link had decided. Reflet had even dragged out an almanac she had "borrowed" from Ryu before they left. The wind was once again capricious as it changed its direction every time Ike turned. Roy suddenly turned towards a bush, their plans to head out soon being put to another pause,"Ah, wait." He murmured, slowly dragging out a sword he dubbed "Sword of Seals" because he opened the seal to a letter he had gotten from Young Link ( the thing arriving right before Ike awoke from his peaceful rest ) with it. Reflet seemed to have a habit of releasing a giggle she had every time she heard the name, and Ike had a habit of making an incredulous face as soon as Roy shouted the name of the blasted sword.  
The bushes rustled some more, a fierce snapping sound resounded through the air before Roy shouted a battle shout, his eyes wild as he slashed a creature in half. Zelda made a deep face filled with emotion before she, on impulse, struck it with a deadly shock of lightning. Roy jumped back, arms flailing wildly as he leapt backwards, Shulk catching the small redhead in his arms before he fell to the ground. The hilarious thing was how Shulk had caught Roy without moving, he simply extended his arms and waited for the redhead to make touchdown. Ike let out a ghost of a laugh, the body of the destroyed creature flashing in his mind as he did so, making him end it in a haunting whisper.  
Roy flushed a bright red and scrambled from Shulk's arms, eyebrows furrowed,"You can't just catch someone bridal style and play it off with a straight face!" He shouted, frantically brushing himself as if he had cooties. Shulk allowed a light smile to show on his face before he picked up another satchel, adjusting it on his bare shoulder before he looked on towards the path they were supposed to walk. Ike rubbed the front his face, bringing his hand through the messy indigo that rested atop of his head," _Okay_. Okay, so lets go, okay?" He said slowly as of testing his voice for the first time. Link frowned and nodded slowly, Roy following in a rush after the Hylian. They hadn't waited for Zelda and the others to follow, so Ike did it. Roy let out a small shout for Ike to hurry up before Ike grabbed the last satchel, the one filled with weapons, and followed.

Each step he took, the glowing yellow sword grabbed his attention, making him frown and glance away from the bag. Okay, he would only use it for its power; not its comfortableness nor how peaceful it felt in his hands. That was the deal he had with an object that could neither agree nor disagree. How peaceful, he had just made a deal with a weapon that could probably kill anything he braved against. It left a dry taste in his mouth as he walked alongside the group, the trees seeming to become different as they continued on, choosing to stare more at the sword he already had.

"It was settling enough how the world was playing a game relating to Marco Polo with them, but now they found themselves traversing through woods that hold many unexpected secrets in its corners, yet they continue to search for their loved ones as if they're still alive," they mumbled, crossing their legs and frowning at the ground with a deep frown.

" _how pitiful_."

* * *

I swear to u that I forgot to add Pit to this chapter, and now that I edit it, I'm mad at myself. Pit's in the next one though, don't worry.

All I have to do is edit the rest of the chapters, and then I can be done with this for a while ( I still need to edit the first few chapters, maybe even redo them ), or a least as long as I'm allowed. Anywho, enjoy this.


	12. 12

[AFTERNOON]

As they made their way through the forest, the time of day became the normally hazy orange and yellow time of day known as afernoon, and yet the sun remained in the sky as if it was 1 o' clock,"The trees are starting to clear up, look there." Link said, guiding Roy and Zelda's eyes to a speck in the distance, the grass and trees so thin and dry that Ike could have sworn there was a desert somewhere. Pit, a quiet entity that Ike barely remembered taking along, marveled at the sky above, his wings flapping lightly in the wind. Ike watched him over his shoulder, watching him stumble and his wings fly out in alarm, or maybe jump as high as the top of a tree when a branch slapped him in the face. Ike's attention was only piqued by the realization that they were all missing someone, and Ike didn't remember him being along the path with them unless he was jumping and leaping from tree to tree as they walked through the forest, or at least flying. Ike felt himself slow down and pick the angel up in a piggy back, Pit making small distressed noises the entire way back to the group.  
When they got there, they were greeted by a field of rotted and dried grass, the remnants of smoke licking at their clothes, soot staining the bottoms of their feet. Pit scrunched up his nose, adding sound effects right before Ike smacked his forehead with the back of his hand, a sort of "really?" look on his face. "This isn't where the heat originates from." Link said suddenly, turning to face the group with a serious expression. Shulk made an incredulous face before he sighed,"You're right– I can, _I can feel it_." Shulk mumbled, shuffling as his skin had goosebumps littered across it. Zelda nodded,"Come, I wouldn't want to see that those creatures have adapted to such an environment." She said, moving forwards and taking the first steps into the ash and soot, her dress bundled in her fingertips as she kept it from getting dirtier than it was. Ike would have told her to simply chop off the bottom, but she was royalty; fashion was more than comfort to them. It was, in fact, confusing. He would understand if someone like him owned something fancy, the cost of it being more than his life worth, but they could simply buy another with the flick of a wrist. Well, money was always a fickle thing.  
Ike followed, trying his best not to make a type of comment on it,"We're going the right way, right Shulk?" Ike asked, Pit shuffling to get more comfortable on Ike's back as the indigo haired teen moved swiftly beside Shulk. Shulk nodded, glancing from Ike to the map, then back up to Ike,"Oh. Pit, you made it. Good." Shulk said, a small smile on his face as they all walked through the barren and burnt field. Roy turned after a moment, waiting until Ike was beside him to continue, Zelda paid this no mind as she continued walking,"Oh. Pit's here? I thought we left you, you ate lunch, right?" Roy said, a deep frown on his face until Pit nodded his answer. Ike adjusted Pit and continued walking, the satchel of weapons starting to feel uncomfortable on his shoulders. When he glanced back, he saw Pit glancing around uncertainly, jumping whenever Ike had to make a small leap. Then, Ike felt it below his feet, and his heart nearly suffocated him from the amount of panic that suddenly found itself lodged in his chest.

A soft rumbling, something that Roy had remembered from the day or two before," _Hey, get down!_ "Ike shouted, crouching down on the ground, Pit trying not to get his white clothes and wings dirty. Everyone except Shulk crouched down on the ground, their eyes wild as Robin brought out one of his tomes, the other magic users slowly dragging out theirs. A charging force, one like they hadn't seen before, infiltrated their vision as soon as they could see,"Holy _fuck_!" Ike heard Reflet shout, casting a powerful spell at the large dark mass of birds charging at them. Roy brought out his sword, still named the Sword of Seals, and blocked with it, ready to fight when he needed to. Ike let Pit down from his back and frowned at the large flock, maybe even plural based on how many birds there were, drawing the golden weapon he hated so much. A name echoes in his head, a name he had never heard before," _Ragnell_." He murmured, eyes wide in what could be adequately named confusion. He heard Link shout for Zelda to hold her fire, the flock hadn't lost a single member from Robin's frantic attack. Ike turned to Roy, his terror and confusion moving to his gut to coil there,"It's too wide to move, what do we do?!" Ike said, Roy glanced at him quickly, allowing his facade to fall for a moment before he put it back up,a deep frown of concentration on his face as if he was telling Ike something. _Not now, if you panic now you'll die_. Ike frowned at his indigo hair blowing haphazardly in the insane winds whipping at their faces, the scent of pine making his eyes burn and his focus waver. Roy continued blocking, his face remaining in its guarding position as he blocked, a contemplative look on his face as he thought; Shulk was the only one here who was still standing, the tremors long gone and the afternoon showing its true colors. Shulk swung around, the people behind him surprised about the serious look on his face,"We charge right through," he said, looking at them all with a contemplative face,"mages stay behind, you can attack long range." He finished, nodding to himself as if confirming his word. Ike paused before he and Pit stood, Roy following afterwards, the redhead positioning himself in a professional runner's pose,"Okay." Was all that he said, his eyes trained on the birds with the force of nothing that Ike seen before. Shulk leaned back, ready to run, before he shouted the charging word," _GO!_ " He let out the cry of battle that had been waiting to be set free, charging forwards as all of the others came forwards in a great rush and leap of power, Roy reaching the head of the crowd in a few seconds, his sword glowing a bright red before Ike saw a large explosion of fire, Roy's eyes an electric yellow before the attack discharged. The others charged trough the smoke, killing the birds that hadn't been killed yet, the ashes and flaming hot embers burning their skin and eyes as they charged on past the cloud of deep smoke. Once they escaped from it, they breathed slowly at first, the oxygen feeling comforting in their lungs as they soon wheezed and heaved for air, the change in how they breathed making their lungs ache. Pit floated down from the sky, his eyes glowing as he found himself gazing happily at the mass of heaving humans,"That explosion was so _cool!_ " He said, a bright smile on his face as he lifted up a half faint Roy and shook him; his eyes lost the yellow they had earlier, replaced with a soft turquoise color,"Pit– hey, Pit. I have to, _Pit_ —" Roy said, wrestling out of Pit's grasp, and only being able to run only two steps before he let out the little breakfast he ate, Pit wincing along with a few of the others,"Oh, sorry." Pit said, walking over and rubbing a hand on Roy's back in a comforting manner, his eyes showing genuine worry as he continued the apologetically genuine gesture. Ike swished around the spit in his mouth at the situation. Great.  
The mages walked from the billowing cloud of dark smoke, they eyes wild and confused as they ran over to the group, blurting questions as Roy shakily stood up, breathing heavily as he tried to calm his stomach,"Hey, that fire is drawing more of those creatures. so lets hurry up and go!" Reflet said, grabbing Shulk and Ike's arms and giving them a rough tug. Ike winced as he stood, Shulk making the same face as he stood up as well, both of them moving their joints. Roy made his way over, eyes still red as he wiped his mouth, Pit aiding him by helping him stay up,"We should head out, I don't want to have to do that attack again." He said in a slurred manner, obviously trying to keep his food inside. Ike nodded slowly, returning Ragnell to its "sheath" and holding the bag out for all of the other weapons. Ike soon had all of the weapons, Roy and Pit choosing to keep theirs in the belt they found while sneaking around Ryu's house. Shulk was simply too kind to tell them that it was a scabbard, he was.  
"Okay, based on the map, we will probably reach the 10 mile mark by the early night, any questions?" He said, glancing over the group before he turned and allowed himself back on the path. He knew what that 10 mile mark held, and he didn't quite want to say so yet, but he continued; stepping on charred birds that littered them like raindrops. All of them were lifeless, even more so than himself.

They continued on the path, the burning stench of smoke and soot on their clothes return in to its proper place. However, another was about return to a similar place.

* * *

This took some effort, lemme tell ya. I don't like writing scenes that either relate, or are fights. I simply _hate_ them, so this is a mediocre chapter. So sorry for the awkward quality of it, haha.


	13. U N L U C K Y

[NIGHT]

The large field, smoke still billowing into the sky, stood behind them as they reached the 10 mile mark, the heat making Ike feel his skin shrivel up, sweat dripping from his eye lashes. Now, he wished that they could turn back, but nothing could convince him to stop the quest now. They would find their families, no matter what the situation brought to them. It was an endearing effort, of course, but it was more of a cautious one as well.

"Ike, I think we're _almost_ there." Shulk said, sweating as the night brought them impossible heat. It hadn't cooled down a bit, because according to Link, it became 10° hotter. It was, in some sense, distressing,"Good, because it's almost 7 and the night comes at around 8:30 or maybe around 9." Link mumbled, Ike looking at them both and nodding, the sky still stuck at sunset; it was _beautiful._ They remained walking in the woods, the field, now seeming to be a clearing, stood a good length behind them, sometimes, Roy could still smell the coaxing scent of smoke. Pit, now resting and snoring on Link's back, shuffled. It echoed trough the woods as if Pit was the only one there, and that alone made Ike wonder, albeit brief. "Yo, Link," Ike started, gazing at the weapons he carried in a bag,"you think that if we cover Pit's wings in oil and cover them in seasoning they'll fry?" He mumbled, peering at Link's face, the Hylian looking slightly disgruntled,"Ike, I know that it's hot, but you can't eat Pit. We all agreed that we would eat you first if it came to it." He said, Shulk letting out a short and acute laugh before regaining himself, looking at the map like a professional. Ike sent Link an incredulous look before he continued walking, Zelda gazing at the even drier trees and grass; how odd for the area of the world they were in. The sky was larger and wider than Ike was last time; night was obviously going to be a pretty sight. They weren't going to stay out much longer according to Shulk, so he had better enjoy the sunset. Glancing over, Ike saw the moon, a waning moon gazed back to him, the craters still visible from where they stood. What would it be tomorrow night? He didn't want to dwell on it too long, the sun hadn't set yet, he would allow it to attack him at night.

The heat, which remained somewhat higher than it was a mile or two ago, beat down on Ike's back, the dry trees providing little cover. He felt as if he could throw up gallons by now. Glancing over, the ice spell on Roy had visibly worn off, Roy sweating heavily and moving in a drunken manner much like Ike the night before. Zelda, in a quick instant, cast the spell on the redhead again; Ike took a keen eye on Zelda, and she knew, she did. Reflet scowled at her tome,"I only have a few spells left. It's not going to take much more for the words to fade away forever." She mumbled, frowning at the tome and bringing another one out from the depths of her satcel of tomes. Shulk glanced over at Reflet,"Use it as some sort of journal, something to tell of the trip you have." He said, a small smile on his face. Reflet, albeit reluctantly, nodded; glancing up at the sky before she gingerly placed Ticonderoga in her satchel, only to be used as a journal of some sort. She wouldn't call it that, though. To her, it was a log, and it stay that way.  
The sky started to turn into a purplish - pink color, the sunset remaining in the background where it belonged to an extent, and the moon started to show even more. Roy peered at it, the welcoming invite of cold feeling nice on his skin,"Are we almost there, Shulk?" The redhead asked, twiddling his thumbs as he quietly waited for an answer. Shulk tilted his head and frowned,"For some reason, no. This doesn't look like the path to where I live at all." Shulk said, hesitating slightly before looking to see if the map was upside down. No. It was correct, but now the heat felt much more prominent. Ike frowned,"Hey, why did it get so much more hotter?" He said, Shulk frowning at how the sentence was worded before he noticed as well,"Yeah. Link, I think that it's coming from up ahead." He mumbled, rolling the map up for one of the few situations he had to since they started this "adventure" if theirs. Link stiffened for a moment before grabbing a sword out of the bag Ike had. Zelda frowned and brought out a tome, her eyes wild as she got into a tightened battle stance. Robin lightly squinted, opening her newer tome, an Arcfire, and getting ready to attack. Ike nodded to the group, pointing ahead of himself and them to show that they needed to head forwards. Roy, with an unhappy frown on his face, nodded back and got ready to charge ahead, Zelda hesitant before allowing him to pass, stealing a glance at Ike. Ike let out a small breath and started the small walk, more so of a stroll, to where the forest was the clearest ahead of them.

When they got there, a castle, no, _almost_ a castle. It seemed to be some sort of mansion, several windows lining the brownish - purple exterior. An unmistakable heat arose from the mansion, a heat that none of them could bare,"Even I can feel how hot it is, Ike. Should we go in?" Roy said, Robin and Reflet peering at Shulk, then Ike. Ike glances at it, slowly eyeing and judging the entire thing before he decided to nod, his eyes squinting as they dried up rapidly,"Yeah, lets go." He said, moving his way to go inside, a quiet thud sounding if Ike listened hard enough. They slowly rose up the steps, a light frown on all of their faces as they shoved open the door, Ike's touch brining no sound from it. He didn't look it, but doors seemed to like him much more than most humans. Gazing inside, ghosts remained; Shulk and Robin letting out an indignant squeak before they composed themselves. After a moment, the ghosts all rushes towards them, Ike slashing them all in one blow with Ragnell,"Ghosts too, huh," he muttered, glancing at the dissipating spirits on the ground. Then, if Roy listened closely, he could hear the traces of a dull thud if he listened hard enough, but it wasn't much to worry him; it wasn't much of a thing they should worry about now. Shulk nodded for them to continue on, a small thud sounding in his ears as he listened. It was rhythmic, now that he thought about it. Reflet and Robin whispered about the noise too, eyebrows furrowed as they thought about what it was. The only ones who heard nothing were Link and Zelda, already interested in the spirits that had attacked them only minutes, maybe seconds, earlier.

The group made their way up the winding stairs, the numerous pictures and portraits on the wall seeming to taunt them. Every once in a while, one of them would let out a squeak, mumbling something about the pictures moving towards them with weapons. It made Roy's stomach churn at the thuds and small hallways, not to mention that it was darker than any place they'd been to before. Link checked his phone, eyes going wide in a moment,"It's 104° in here." He whispered, sweating more than his body would allow. Ike whipped around, eyebrows furrowed. Yeah, this was where the heat was coming from. Shulk gazed around uncertainly, a deep frown on his face as the thudding pulsed in his ears. The all continued further, either a deep frown or a worried look on all of their faces by now, and it didn't go unrecognized by anyone. Doors were opened, people were thought of, and prayers were raised as one last ditch effort to stay alive. Ike paused at a door, already stripped to just pants and his undershirt,"I think this is where it's coming from." He mumbled, pausing to glance at Link and what seemed to be a thermometer app,"Yeah, it's 107°. Now, we need to hurry up and get out before anyone starts to melt, because even Pit isn't doing okay; his wings are molting." Link replied, nodding over to a sweaty Pit, feathers aligned in an odd sort of trail behind the goup. Ike frowned at the pitiful angel, and turned back towards the door,"Okay, then we'll make it quick." Ike said, opening the door with the same quietness that none could achieve but himself. When they opened it, their deaths were eminent; a quick flash and they were gone.

The thud remained.

The tH u h. uD. D

Ike paused at the door, his eyes wide and terrified," _What was that?_ " He whispered, his pupils shaking from what he saw that cused his "death." Behind that door was a nuclear reactor, the thing going on meltdown for several hours, maybe even days. No one had even sensed the radiation; not even Pit, the one who was probably the most sensitive to such a thing. Roy moved forward and placed an ice cold hand on Ike's shoulder,"Ike, are we heading in?" Roy asked, his eyes staring at the door as hard as Ike was. Ike shook his head,"We need to leave, _now._ " Ike said, backing away from the door, the thud sounded deafening this time, a loud creak echoing through the mansion. Roy's eyes widened at the realization," _Let's go!_ " He yelled, grabbing Ike's arm in the same grip of steel he had earlier, Ike's mind moving between panic and fear as his gut clenched, he nearly let up his lunch.  
As the group ran, Ike caught a glimpse of what was happening,"It's a maze." He whispered, everyone understood in that moment how they were tricked: the winding stairs, the moving and slightly hypnotizing pictures on the wall, the numerous doors and windows that weren't there anymore. _Tricked_. Link calmed his breathing and nodded over to the rest of the group, his last salute to them before everything was engulfed in a blinding white. Ike heard Pit screaming something about his wings, but the ring in in Ike's ears almost didn't allow him to make out the words. He heard nothing else but Roy's cry of burning alive and the choked whispers of everyone else. Well, they didn't find their parents, but they found something else: the surprisingly calm embrace of death. It wasn't terrifying, it was like a mother swaddling her child. It was also like being stuck in limbo, and no one was to question it. There was no Ike, no Robin, no Reflet, no Roy, no Shulk, no Pit, no Zelda, nor a Link; only darkness.

[EPILOGUE]

"Aw, it's over." Marth complained, a small frown on his face. He expeced a better ending, not something that seemed to be from the Twilight Zone, or something at least remotely related to that 20th century show, a time that Marth could barely even think of. The television suddenly clicked off, Marth whirring around, only to be met by his sister,"Now Marth, you know that you shouldn't be watching TV when you have a test tomorrow." She chided, moving to grab Marth by his arms and slowly move him to his room. Marth groaned, but complied; there was tomorrow, he had time. Now, the only thought that echoed through his head was:

How peculiar it would be if we could start this a g. a I N

* * *

And that was an incredibly crappy ending, but I'm redoing the first chapter to match up with this one, so it goes on and on forever. How cool, huh? Anywho, thanks for reading and have a nice day.

 _Please don't destroy me for this because I don't want to die._

 _note-_ nothing in this fic belongs to me,it all only belongs to Nintendo. This idea and quest was mine, though. So, um, there's that. See, I can own expensive things too, darnit.


End file.
